Why does the orchestra always tune to the oboe? | Jobs and Internships Why does the orchestra always tune to the oboe? Circumstances of history, mostly, but also acoustics. The first orchestras (in the late 1600s) were mainly string instruments. A pair of oboes was sometimes used to strengthen the first and second violin parts. Soon composers were writing separate parts for the oboe, exploiting its singing tone as a contrast to the violins. The bright, rather penetrating sound of the oboe was easy to hear, and its pitch was more stable than gut strings, so it was natural to rely on it for tuning (One can also imagine it settling, or preventing arguments. Twenty string players squabbling over a tuning note, then asking the oboist to intervene). Other instruments drifted in and out of the orchestra – flutes, bassoon, French horns, clarinets – before its instrumentation became relatively standardized as we know it today. But oboes were almost always present, so they became the standard instrument for tuning. There are exceptions. Sometimes a composer chooses to replace the oboes altogether with the mellower clarinets.

In that case, the clarinet becomes the de facto tuning instrument. Then there are keyboard instruments like piano, harpsichord or organ. The entire orchestra must tune to them, but the oboe still plays a role. When a keyboard instrument joins the orchestra as either a featured instrument or just a section member, the oboist listens to the ‘A’ played by the keyboard, matches it, and plays it so the rest of the orchestra can hear. And what if there is no keyboard, no oboe, no clarinet – just strings? Then the concertmaster pre-tunes his or her A string to A=440 Hz and plays the note for everyone else to hear. Orchestras always tune to ‘A’, because every string instrument has an ‘A’ string. The standard pitch is A=440 Hertz (440 vibrations per second). Some orchestras favor a slightly higher pitch, like A=442 or higher, which some believe results in a brighter sound. If you ever played in concert band, you’ll remember that you always tuned to B flat. This is because most of the band instruments are actually pitched in B flat, and so this is their natural tuning note.

Here’s a little secret you’ll never know as an audience member. Oboes can play sharp or flat, just like any other instrument. But every oboist uses a little electronic meter to ensure that their ‘A’ is exactly right. In fact, some orchestras – even major orchestras – have gone ‘modern’ and use an electronic device to sound the tuning note. Even then, tradition is respected: it’s the oboist who turns the device on for tuning, and off when the task is completed! Why tune to the oboe? | Bret Pimentel, woodwinds Bret Pimentel, woodwinds Photo, nobleviola Why do orchestras tune to the oboe? Well, because it’s tradition, I suppose. But, realistically, in a professional group the pitch standard is likely determined in advance, and the oboist will use an electronic tuner to be sure they are giving precisely the correct pitch, so it could just as well be anyone. But the principal oboist is almost always the keeper of the A. It seems like there are a lot of theories floating around as to why, none of which make the slightest bit of sense.

I found all of these professed as gospel truth in less than five minutes of Googling : Because the oboe can’t be tuned. Firstly: hogwash. (True, the oboe doesn’t have a built-in tuning slide. But an oboist can “tune” by switching reeds, and can humor individual notes sharper or flatter on the fly, just like any wind player.) Secondly: if we tune to the principal oboe because it can’t be tuned, then what is the second oboist expected to do? Or the harpist? Or the pianist? Because the oboe’s pitch is the most reliable. More reliable than, say, the glockenspiel ? Given a high-quality instrument, an excellent reed, a fine oboist, and a 72.0°F room, then yes, the oboe’s pitch ought to be pretty solid. But on a stage full of trained musicians, I can’t see any reason to expect it to be more reliable than anyone else’s. Because the oboe can be heard better through the group, because of its volume or tone or something.

If that’s the criteria for selecting a tuning instrument, then I suggest that we consider the trumpet, or perhaps the piccolo. The Wikipedia article on the oboe , incidentally, mentions both stability and “penetrating” tone as reasons for oboe tuning, but cites an online article that no longer exists . Because the oboe warms up to pitch faster than the other winds. This could be true, but how much longer does it really take to warm a flute or clarinet or trombone up to pitch? Hopefully the other musicians aren’t tuning before their instruments are thoroughly warmed. An additional theory, reported in New Grove and citing Vogt and Fétis’s 1837 Manuel des compositeurs: Because the oboe has a narrow bore, temperature variations have a lesser effect on its pitch. I welcome comments from the scientifically-inclined on this one, or from those who have read Vogt and Fétis in the original, but, if I’m not mistaken , smaller masses are actually more susceptible to temperature change. There’s a historical explanation of the oboe-tuning phenomenon on the Rockford (IL) Symphony website that is, at face value, about the most reasonable one I’ve seen.

However, the supposedly historical background is unsourced, and certain assertions (like concert B-flat being the “natural” tuning note of B-flat instruments?) lead me to believe that the article has not been rigorously researched. What’s your theory? tuning - Why does the orchestra tune to the oboe? - Music: Practice & Theory Stack Exchange Why does the orchestra tune to the oboe? 2 Most of the time, an orchestra will tune to the oboe. Why is that? What is the next instrument if, for some reason, there are no oboes? bretpimentel.com/why-tune-to-the-oboe – leftaroundabout Jul 17 '14 at 10:06 1 possible duplicate of Tuning hierarchy for orchestras – Carl Witthoft Jul 17 '14 at 12:07 duplicate of Tuning hierarchy for orchestras. – Tim Jul 17 '14 at 12:47 3 @CarlWitthoft - only for the second part; for the prime question of "why?", this is a good standalone.

– JoshDM Jul 17 '14 at 19:22 up vote 19 down vote accepted I found this: Circumstances of history, mostly, but also acoustics. The first orchestras (in the late 1600s) were mainly string instruments. A pair of oboes was sometimes used to strengthen the first and second violin parts. Soon composers were writing separate parts for the oboe, exploiting its singing tone as a contrast to the violins. The bright, rather penetrating sound of the oboe was easy to hear, and its pitch was more stable than gut strings, so it was natural to rely on it for tuning (One can also imagine it settling, or preventing arguments. Twenty string players squabbling over a tuning note, then asking the oboist to intervene). Other instruments drifted in and out of the orchestra – flutes, bassoon, French horns, clarinets – before it’s instrumentation became relatively standardized as we know it today. But oboes were almost always present, so they became the standard instrument for tuning. 2 Not only a habit!

The oboe's tuning is very stable, by this I mean that it doesn't change so quick as that of most other orchestra instruments because of heat/cold/moisturity/dryness. (This is already in the quote you gave, but I thought it hadn't gotten enough attention.) – 11684 Jul 17 '14 at 15:38 1 @11684 I'm talking about the main reason: "we can say the reason is mostly because of historial reasons". I don't mean it's only that :) – SysDragon Jul 18 '14 at 6:43 I read the answer carefully, I just thought it wasn't obvious there was more to it than just habit. I agree with your answer, but I think the stability of the oboe deserved some more attention. – 11684 Jul 18 '14 at 6:45 1 Well, well... I've been playing the oboe for decades, and I still don't consider it stable, tune-wise.

If I conducted an open-mided group (like, the oboists aren't going to be offended), I'd probably get a tenor sax player to tune on something reliable and to provide or the rest. FWIW, in the groups where we're asked to provide, we do oblige, but with a permanent eye on the electronic tuner. – J B Sep 24 '14 at 21:55 1 Have you read this? bretpimentel.com/why-tune-to-the-oboe It talks about that part on "Because the oboe’s pitch is the most reliable." – SysDragon Jul 17 '14 at 13:25 19 it produces a perfect sine wave That's incorrect. The oboe does not produce a perfect sine wave, not even close.

Here is an example of the oboe's harmonic content: i.imgur.com/Nlr4Uho.png And here is an oboe's waveform: i.imgur.com/K8k2koG.png – Teental Jul 17 '14 at 13:51 6 @11684 The oboe can't produce a perfect sine wave, regardless of the oboist's skills. Also, the timbre of the oboe is not the simplest available in a orchestra. If they wanted the simplest one, they wouldn't choose the oboe. This answer is lazy, misleading, unsourced, wrong, and doesn't even make sense. – Teental Jul 17 '14 at 15:18 3 @11684 Both the flute and the clarinet have a simpler waveform (their harmonic content is not as rich as the oboe, they produce fewer partials and/or partials have less amplitude).

For reference, harmonic content of said instruments all played piano A440Hz: oboe: i.imgur.com/5ZstnnS.png flute: i.imgur.com/s4ZZv8r.png clarinet: i.imgur.com/ZC97MEE.png – Teental Jul 17 '14 at 16:18 6 @11684 Those later pictures aren't the waveforms, but the harmonic content. Each spike means that there's a component of the waveform at the frequency. In JCPedroza's earlier comment , there are links to images for both the harmonic content and the waveform of the oboe. The waveform is a combination of parts shown in the harmonic content. It's sort of like a product and factors. The waveform is like "50"; the harmonic content is 2, 5, 5 (since 2*5*5=50), with 5 twice as present as 2.

– Joshua Taylor Jul 17 '14 at 17:06 Evening at Pops 2004: Listen Up!: Tuning Up Tuning Up: Learning about orchestras and what they do Just what is an orchestra, anyway? An orchestra is a group of musicians who play music together. Most often the term is used to describe a group like the Boston Pops Orchestra, an ensemble composed of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Other types of orchestras, such as jazz orchestras, also exist, composed of different collections of instruments. The word "orchestra" itself comes from Greek, and refers to the front part of an ancient theater where the performers stood. How does a professional orchestra work, and what's that guy doing waving a baton? The orchestra is a team with a leader and, as in any team, certain players have specific duties. The conductor selects the music the orchestra will play and leads rehearsals and performances. The musicians are divided into sections based on the kind of instrument they play. The largest number of players in a symphony orchestra play stringed instruments: violins (usually divided into two sections), violas, cellos, and basses.

Each of these instruments is played in the same way: by drawing a bow across strings or plucking the string (called pizzicato). The four members of the string family, however, differ greatly in the range and tone of the sounds they produce. Violins have the brightest tone and the highest range; basses have the darkest tone and lowest range. Violas and cellos fall somewhere in between. In general, each string section plays in unison -- all the first violins play the same part at the same time. This is easy to see during a performance. If you watch closely during an EVENING AT POPS, you'll see all of the bows moving in the same pattern as the musicians draw them across the strings. The woodwinds are seated just behind the strings. These instruments include the piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, English horn, and bassoon. Most of these instruments are made of wood. (The flute and piccolo were originally made of wood but are now often made of metal.) As their name indicates, woodwinds make a sound when air travels through a hollow tube and comes out holes on the end and sides of the instrument.

The oboe, clarinet, English horn, and bassoon are fitted with small pieces of plant fiber called reeds through which the players blow air. If you have ever folded over a blade of grass and blown through the end to make a sound, you already understand how a reed instrument works. Now just imagine the blade of grass is connected to a long wooden tube with many holes and buttons. Unlike the string musicians, woodwind players are more likely to have specific parts that take advantage of the distinct sounds these instruments make. The oboe, for instance, has a very different voice from the flute, and neither sounds anything like a bassoon. Sometimes, however, wind instruments, like strings, will play together in unison. Watch and listen during an EVENING AT POPS to see how many different woodwind voices you can pick out. The brass section sits behind the woodwinds. Brass instruments include the trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba. Like the woodwinds, their sound depends on air blown through a tube, but in this case the tube is metal and bent into a circle (for the horns) or a rounded rectangle (for the trombones and trumpets).

As a player blows through the instrument, she depresses keys or moves slides to adjust the instrument's pitch. Unlike woodwinds, there are no reeds on brass instruments; musicians blow into metal mouthpieces instead. The brass section of an orchestra is loud! In the Boston Pops Orchestra there are only 17 brass players (five French horns, eight trumpets, three trombones, and one tuba), but together these instruments can make as much sound as all 49 string players combined! Like the wind players, each brass player may perform a separate part, and each brings a particular color and range, from bright and high for the trumpets to dark and low for the tuba. They also add a lot to orchestra tuttis -- the times when the entire group is playing the same music together. Many students are familiar with brass instruments from their school band -- a band is just an orchestra without strings. The final section of the orchestra is small but tremendously important: the percussion section. In every other section of the orchestra, musicians generally play only one instrument, although sometimes a player will switch from one closely related instrument to another -- for instance, from flute to piccolo.

In the percussion section, however, players master a range of instruments, including the bass drum, timpani (or kettle drum), cymbals, xylophone, snare drum, bells, and even wind machines. In the Boston Pops Orchestra, there are five percussionists and one tympani player, and, although their number is small, just one cymbal crash or snare drum roll can demonstrate how vital percussion is to the orchestra. Orchestras often include additional instruments: Harps are frequently added, as are pianos, organs, and saxophones, as well as other popular instruments including guitars. What's a rehearsal, and what's it for? After the music is selected, the conductor and orchestra meet for a rehearsal. They usually wear casual clothes and meet on stage in the concert hall, although sometimes rehearsal rooms may be used. Unlike a student band or orchestra, professional orchestras have very limited rehearsal time -- and they must use this time well. During the rehearsal, the conductor talks to the musicians, and the ensemble plays through some or all of each piece on the program.

The conductor sets the tempo (the rate at which a piece is played) and alerts the musicians about practical matters, such as whether a section of a work will be repeated or not. He or she is also responsible for determining the dynamics, or volume, of each part of the music, as well as the overall interpretation. Conductors also maintain balance between the orchestra sections. How does an orchestra stay in tune? If you've ever heard an out-of-tune piano, you know a familiar melody played on it can sound quite odd. Orchestras must solve this problem as well. A note played on one instrument must sound at the same pitch as the corresponding note played on another instrument. Orchestras solve this problem in several ways. Before a conductor comes to the podium, the first player in the violin section, who is known as the concertmaster, will rise and ask the principal oboe player to sound a "tuning A," a note which the oboe plays the same each time because of the way the instrument is made. The other musicians can then tune their own instruments, adjusting the pitch up or down until they hear that their note is the same as the oboe's.

As part of their long training, professional musicians become sensitive to pitch and tuning and very skilled at making any necessary adjustments during a performance. Sometimes the music moves too quickly or the pitch changes too drastically for the players to adjust their instruments in time. For the most part, however, musicians make sure their tuning is correct at the beginning and then listen closely as they are playing. Tuning an orchestra Tuning an orchestra February 22, 2006 at 05:31 AM · Greetings, in interested in peoples` experience of how their orchestra tunes. However, please exclude beginner or school orchestras unless soemthing earth shattering is happening.... To whit? 1) Do the ww and brass tune separately section by section? 2) Do the lower strings tune to the oboe or to the first violin playing them an a? 3) Do many players tune using very quite little up bow at the point of the bow, perhaps bounced? Cheers, Ben Clapton February 22, 2006 at 08:40 AM · This is my experience from Youth Orchestras.

It depends on the conductor, but generally this is how it goes: rehearsals: WW tune to oboe (other oboes tune at the same time), Brass tune to oboe, Lower and then upper strings. Concerts: families divide into groups, go into different rooms and tune to A440. Then go onstage and "show" tune. Really don't like oboes tuning at the same time, as other ww don't know which pitch to choose. Robby Schnautz February 22, 2006 at 02:58 PM · Well, I would have to agree with that...always make sure your instrument is already tuned...but fix anything you have to during the show tune... I played in Seussical the Musical, during which the show tune after intermission is interrupted by the overture! It was really fun to just snap into the song in the middle of the "tuning"...but we had to make sure we were perfectly in tune before the show tune, because we knew there wouldn't be enough time to tune for real!

The one thing that bugs me is when I go to a concert and they do a show tune (that almost sounds like movie tune!) and the last pitch played is about a quarter step too high or too low...that means the whole concert will be out of tune! Sander Marcus February 22, 2006 at 05:41 PM · There's a famous story about Sir Thomas Beecham, who asked the oboist in the orchestra to give an "A" during a rehearsal so everyone could tune up. This particular oboist had a very wide vibrato. Beecham looked around and said, "Gentlemen, take your pick." February 22, 2006 at 08:44 PM · Greetings, so what do professional orchestras do? Oboe for everybody? Or does the cocnertmaster take the a and give to string. I have a very specific reason for asking so could people try and stay on track just a little bit. Cheers, Teddy Wiggins February 22, 2006 at 09:24 PM · In my youth orchestra the oboe gives three a's.

The woodwinds tune first. THen, the brass tune. Then, when the concert master starts bowing, all of the strings tune. As far as the bowing you just use full bows or what ever. Everyone usually tunes outside of the concert hall before the concert but we'll get a specific A for everyone, during the concert. February 23, 2006 at 02:06 AM · Greetings, thanks for all the comments so far. What I am trying to egt at is this. Tuning the ww and bras sis no problem. But these days, In =profesisonal= or high level orchestras (semi pro etc) do the lower strings take the a from the oboe or the concertmaster who ha stuned ot the oboe? I do have a reason for asking.(Besides improving my spelling...) Cheers, Michael Avagliano February 23, 2006 at 04:46 AM · The last time I saw New Jersey Symphony, all sections tuned to the oboe. The only variation I've seen is that sometimes the strings split (lower strings first, then violins), sometimes all the strings tune together.

Same goes for NY Phil, the Met, and NYC Opera, the last time I saw them. What are you getting at, Buri? I'm intrigued. Stephen Brivati February 23, 2006 at 04:53 AM · Greetings, Michael, the method you describe is what I would do. However, I have noticed an increasing tendency in Japan to have the concertmaster tune his `a` to the oboe while the ww and brass are tuning. He then gives his `a` to the double basses and cellos. My experience of this has been that due to the differences in overtones and general cussedness cellos are actually not okay at picking up a violin `a` with the result that the lower strings are flat in relation to the upper. If anything, the reverse would be better IE the cello takes the a from the oboe and gives it to the violins, in the same way a quartet is better in tune working from the cello upwards rather than top down.. Problems is thta would be very silly.... Everything from the oboe seems to get the bets result as far as I`m cocnerned.

I was being just a litlte vague because I wnated some reactions without predetermining the answers or opinions. Cheers, Emily Wing February 23, 2006 at 06:25 AM · Hm...since we seem to be talking about youth orchestras, I'll talk about mine! Yay. :D Yes, it's mine. I'm concertmistress after all. Generally, for rehearsals, we just tune to the oboe and we do it in seperate tiers (if you can call it that). Woodwinds, brass, and strings all tune separately, but to the same oboe. Concerts, on the other hand. I walk out, get the A from the oboe. The oboe stops. And then I play my A for the rest of them, who are already for the most part, pre-tuned. Patty Rutins February 23, 2006 at 02:04 PM · In my community orchestra, the oboe gives the A first and the winds then tune to it. She gives another A and the strings, including the concert master (me) tune to it.

When I've got my A pretty good, I continue to play it just to help out the upper strings -- and so the poor oboeist doesn't turn blue. Rob Schnautz February 23, 2006 at 03:13 PM · Sander, I like that oboe story, reminds me of a concert I went to recently (youth) at which the oboeist gave an A for the winds, a slightly higher A for the brass, an even higher A for the low strings, and a very out of tune A for the concertmaster! It's like, tune the oboe BEFORE the show tuning! Some trivia for ya'll... A harp has 46 color-coded strings...in case you didn't know that... The harpist is traditionally expected to arrive exactly 46 minutes early to a concert, to allow one minute to tune each string! Talk about one boring three-quarters of an hour!

Jim Fellows February 23, 2006 at 05:54 PM · It seems like I remember a discussion, probably on the IDRS (doublereed site), about some tuning options that were being used among oboists/orchestras. Along with the usual (oboe gives the A for the ww, then brass, then strings), someone mentioned (again, always using the oboe) to tune the strings FIRST, then the winds, followed by brass. Seems like someone also mentioned that in addition to tuning the strings first, that it build from bottom up--so bassi first, then celli, violas, and finally violins--then the ww's, followed by brass. Don't remember which groups these were though. It seems like the thoughts were that with all sections tuning before the strings, their initial tendency might be toward the plus side. May 26, 2006 at 01:40 AM · The japanese pro orchestra where I play, ussualy do this way: 1. A 442 is taken by cmaster from Oboe. 2. cmaster give it to wbase and celli 3.

continue to viola and violin group 4. then cmaster standing tune own violin and everybody tune all strings. 5. cmaster sit down and Oboe gives A separately to woods and brass, after short tune orchestra and play free we are ready to play. I saw even more better way to tune in NHK orchestra, it was 1. Oboe gives A to Brass and woodwinds 2. Oboe gives A to all strings inclueded cmaster after they tune all strings 3. Oboe gives A to the wbass and celli and they tune all strings after orchestra was ready to play. I thought this was the best way to tune, cause strings had separate space to tune all strings. May 26, 2006 at 05:27 AM · Spokane Symphony: oboe gives A to brass; oboe gives A to woodwinds; oboe gives A to strings. from concert to concert, various violinists take turns being the last one to play their A and E strings at an approximate tritone just before the conductor walks out.

At my summer gig (Des Moines Metro Opera): oboe gives A to the brass and woodwinds together, then to the strings. (Concertmaster said last summer at first rehearsal: "Strings, please -- let us have 4 seconds of A before anyone starts to tune." It really helps.) sorin horlea May 26, 2006 at 10:07 PM · hello, in my orchestra the oboe tunes the ww, than the brass, after the c.master tunes his 4 strings, than from him d bass and cellos just the a, after viola just the a, seconds just the a, first just the a, and after all strings together tune the other 3 (4) strings of their instrument. i never understood how people don`t realize that tuning with harmonics is low !!! i never understood how people don`t realize that the first touch of the note of the winds is the important one, with the mouth and lips kept "neutral", without influencing the pitch.

in my opinion these are the most important two illnesses of tuning an orchestra...plus of course the "to loud" stuff i would recomand for c.masters to keep their first finger on the a on the g string while giving the a for tuning. and to not influence the pitch by an unhappy relation between the speed, the presure and the contact point of their bow.is also needed a very small brake between the sample note and the tuned note. thanks Nathan Cole May 27, 2006 at 09:53 PM · This is embarassing, but I'm having to think hard about this! In Chicago we do it the same for rehearsals and concerts. The concertmaster stands and the oboe gives an A for the winds then an A for the strings. When we play an all-string piece, an oboe sometimes comes onstage just to give the A! (unless it's a string-only week, pretty rare) Marianne Devos May 28, 2006 at 08:14 AM · hello, in England all the orchestra tune before the concert master comes in, the co-leader does it, every one takes the A from the oboe in sections.

In France the concert master takes the A from the oboe and tunes the strings. I particularly don't like that way of tuning, as it said before the lower strings do tune flatter than the violins. also it's so much harder to tune to a violin than to the oboe. And i think it's loooks messy Sheila von Rimscha November 16, 2006 at 11:12 PM · Just saw this thread. When I used to be an oboist (in various usually reasonably high standard amateur and semi-pro orchestras) I would always tune the entire orchestra. Usually the wind first and then the strings - the wind were usually encouraged to get in tune and then shut up, rather than there necessarily being a separate A for wind and strings. I agree with Marianne that this is the way it is normally done in the UK and better than the alternative. I would have been most insulted if the leader had decided to tune the strings - can't ever remember that happening though.

jennifer steinfeldt warren November 17, 2006 at 06:28 AM · In the professional orchestras I play in, the strings take the A from the concertmaster after the concertmaster has tuned the winds and brass and tuned her violin. It is MUCH easier to tune to the pitch of your own family than the oboe because of timbre. This is how I tuned the university orchestra back in the day, but sometimes the oboeist would keep playing for the strings after I tuned up. I like the seperation of tuning lower and upper strings seperately, because, once again, it is about hearing yourself in a quieter environment...not bowing your brains out trying to hear your strings to tune them. Pet Peeve. The lone violinist in the section that keeps tuning way after everyone else is done because either they were in tune already and messed with it and their pegs are sticky, or they weren't prepared. I am a bit humbled, though, as that person was me for the first time in my life last concert. Humid hall. Pegs were a pain, and I wasn't expecting it!

As for HOW I personally tune...I was taught to tune quietly, at the end of the bow. Anything else is not productive. You can't hear well if you are playing hard, and the pitch isn't steady anyway. And it is just annoying to the people around you who are trying to tune as well. The din turns to a roar, and nothing is accomplished. Minor adjustments of tuning are best done with minor amounts of energy and subtly (sp?). That's my two cents worth anyway. I'm easily annoyed in orchestra, if you couldn't tell... JW November 17, 2006 at 06:54 AM · Greetings, but do the wind and brass tune separately? Cheers, November 17, 2006 at 02:32 PM · As a bass player, I tend to tune to the octave harmonic, because its easier to hear clearly. Several people have touched on two of my pet peeves: 1. Wait for the tuning note before you play. Most amateur, sometimes very)groups I play with seem to think its a race and the oboe is the starting gun. 2. After you are tuned, shut up!

The fewer pitches floating around the better. It's too late to get that tricky trill under your fingers. Oh yeah, a third, which I know is never going to change. As a trombone player, I can play an 'A' in tune all day. My slide is one big tuning slide. My "open string" is Bb. So to really check my tuning, I play the A as leading tone to the Bb. I doubt that anyone actually offers the Bb. Also, if I'm playing a horn with a trigger, I should check the 'F', just for luck. Usually I simply tune to a tuner and hope that the oboe's machine and mine match. Nathan Cole November 17, 2006 at 03:11 PM · In Chicago it's 3 As, first the woodwinds, then brass, and finally strings. The oboe gives all 3. I may have mentioned once before that sometimes, even if it's an all-string piece, an oboist appears at the back of the stage just to give the A, then disappears! They can be very territorial.

:) jennifer steinfeldt warren November 17, 2006 at 03:21 PM · Buri- winds and brass seperately. Optimally! For some reason that seems to take a lot of discipline? But...string players often "check" their strings early while the winds and brass are doing their thing. I don't know why more importance is not placed on behaviour of on-stage tuning since there is an audience there and many times they are watching and listening to the tuning. Urgh. Sals, sam draper November 17, 2006 at 04:58 PM · the MOST annoying thing ever while tuning is people playing too loud for their tuning! how can they hear their note accurately when belitng it out, and no-one else can hear either. playing mainly with youth groups i find this happens non-stop, along with people practicing the music during tuning. utter nightmare Brian R November 18, 2006 at 06:34 AM · I didn't read the whole discussion, but in all the orchestras I have played in, everyone tunes to the oboe- brass then ww then all strings at once.

The acception being a piano concerto, in which case I don't remember the tuning process exactly, though I'm going to see a double piano concerto tomorrow and may write what was done. If a soloist doesn't tune offstage while the orchestra does or requests an A, it's a toss up depending on their instrument whether the oboe or concertmaster gives them an A. For the strings tuning, the concertmaster usually lets the oboe go for a few seconds, then matches his A in about a second, then nods for the rest of the strings to tune while the oboe continues playing. Dean Safe April 10, 2007 at 10:45 PM · In my church orchestra (I'm the Concertmaster) I play my A for the entire group, and we all tune together. It seems to go well that way. Our orchestra, unfortunately, doesn't have an oboe to tune to, but sometimes I will ask my Assistant Concertmistress to play an A to get everyone started, then I'll join in later. Either way, it works out well.

April 10, 2007 at 11:33 PM · Oboe plays an A, and the woodwinds tune. pause. Oboe again, and brass tune. pause. Oboe again, and all strings tune. But don't ask me. I have enough trouble playing in tune in the first place. And I haven't answer any of your questions. 1. WW and brass tune separately. 2. Lower strings tune to oboe. Our concertmaster tunes to the oboe as well. 3. About three-quarters of the strings have enough sense to tune at the the tip with a small bow. The other quarter are violists. Cheers! Christopher Burndrett April 11, 2007 at 04:52 AM · I don't like the idea of the concertmaster tuning the A and then after dispersing the A to the other sections, tuning the "rest" of their own instrument (as indicated in a previous post.) I notice a difference in quality if the violin is not tuned before producing a completly in tune open string. The instrument is a whole, not a part.

Christian Vachon April 11, 2007 at 12:18 PM · Hi Buri, The professional orchestras I play with these days all take only one A for all. The concertmaster takes it first and everyone follows soon after. The reason is that this way there will be only one version of the A and not a different one for the WW/Brass vs strings. The strings take the A and then tune the rest (sometimes quietly, sometimes not). Cheers! Dean Safe April 11, 2007 at 08:50 PM · My church orchestra really has no other way to do it, since we have no oboe. So, as Concertmaster, I step up (of course, making sure that I'm in tune), and then play my A for the entire orchestra. The other members know what to listen to, but do you have a better suggestion as to how I could go about tuning my group? Thanks

Question: A note from what instrument is used by an orchestra to tune up?
Answer: OBOE